Robert-ii



N UNirnn sfrafrns rarnnr konirica.

ROBERT-J. DODD, OFPHILADELPHIAPENNSYLVANIA.

BOUGIE Fon. s'rRIoTUREs.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 3,297, dated October 6, 1848.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ROBERT J. DoDD, `of Philadelphia, in the State o-fPennsylvania, surgeon in the Navy of the United States and a nativecitizen of the United States, have invented an improved Catheter-Bougie, of which the followingis a true and eX- act description.

The object of my improvement is to guide the bougie in inserting thesame into the urethra for the purpose of removing a stricture and toprevent the lacerating of the urethra in inserting the bougie, and alsoto guide the cutting instrument used in removing the stricture, and toprevent its point from passing out of the urethra on one side in theoperation.

In the annexed drawing, Figure 3, isa longitudinal section of myAimproved catheter-bougie, in which (a) is the dilator, being the samein size and exterior form as the bougie in common use as shown in Fig.l. This dilator may be made of silver or any other suitable metal. Thisdilator is hollow through its whole length, the hollow being ofsufhcient capacity to admit of the guiding-rod and knife-bearer. Theguiding-rod Fig. 3, f', is of steel or other suitable metal andtraverses longitudinally in the dilator, being longer than the dilatorso that it projects beyond the dilator at each end. In performing anoperation for removing a stricture, the guiding-rod is protruded beyondthe end of the dilator so as to pass up the urethra in advance of thedilator, and thus to guide the dilator in the urethra and prevent itsend from pressing against and lacerating the wall of the urethra. Theknife-bearer Fig. 3, Z), is of steel or other suitable metal, the samebeing, as I usually make it, cylindrical in form and having a groove orchannel or hollow on one side through its whole length for theguidingrod to traverse in. Its particular form may be varied very much,as will be evident, without changing its principle or impairing its use.Tt is adapted on its hollow or grooved side to the guiding-rod andslides upon that rod, the whole instrument being so constructed that theknife-bearer and the guiding-rod are adapted to and fill up the interiorhollow space in the dilator, in such manner, however, as to permit therod and the knife-bearer, each of' them separately to traverse or slidefreely.

The knife, Fig. 3, c, is fixed in the knifebearer so that when theknife-bearer is inserted into the dilator, the knife is retracted into anarrow slot on one side of the dilator at the end of the dilator. Theknifeis thus retracted and in effect sheathed in the dilator at thecommencement of an operation `with the instrument. It is evident thatthe inch `in length more orlless, in which this screw traverses. Thisslot is covered by a thin sliding pla-te (c) which serves merely for afinish to the instrument, and has no essential function in the use ofthe instrument. The back of the knife is exactly adapted to theguiding-rod, and the point of the knife is just at the surface of therod, so that when the knife is made to slide on the rod it cuts cleanfrom the surface of t-he rod outward, leaving no undivided substancebetween the back of the knife and the rod. When the dilator is insertedinto the urethra, with the knife retracted or sheathed as it always isin the commencement of the operation, and it is found in the process ofthe operation that a stricture is encountered, that cannot be removed bythe dilator, the operator by inea-11s of the thumb-screw (el) pushes theknife forward and thus divides the strictured parts. The stricture beingthus di` vided, the knife is again retracted or sheathed and thedilato-r again pushed forward. The dilator being thus inserted it mayremain in the urethra as a catheter the guiding-rod being taken out.

An instrument may consist of the dilator and guiding-rod only, withoutthe knife and knife-bearer; to be used in cases where it is notnecessary to divide the stricture by a cutting instrument. Or in such acase the knife and knife-bearer may be taken out and the instrument usedin an operation without them. The instrument may be used in op erationsfor other strictures than those of J. DoDD hereto subscribe my name inthe or in the urethra. presence of the Witnesses Whose names are 10 Iclaim as my invention und ask a patent hereto subscribed on the 18th dayof Sepor the said instrument, consisting of the tember, A. D. 1843.

5 dilator and guiding-rod merely, or oonsist- R. J. DODD.

ing of the dilator, guiding-rod. and. knife Signed in our presence: andknife-bearer- HENRY M. PARKER,

In testimony whereof, I, the said ROBERT WM. A. CRAFTS.

